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Hi Doug. About the controllers. I'm not too thrilled with cutting the
wires.As for the heat, good point. I'm hoping a small fan in the box will fix
that. Or maybe leave the controllers exposed to the air. ( with the associated
electrical connections covered, of course. Look at it like my "on-board
heater". )
I expect the "4 joystick box" to be about 4 inches wide and 10 inches long
by 4 to 6 inches deep. Haven't spent a lot of time on this detail yet.
I've got most of the parts for it, and have seen the gears, pivot pins,
bushings, screws etc. in local places. Shouldn't take too long to fab that thing
up.
I'll be putting in my through-hulls before I make a box.
-----Here's something new.------
I have a unique solution to a problem the community may be interested
in.
I've never felt comfortable with the coil spring on the hatch. Every one
I've seen was rusty from flexing and losing paint. Several I've seen actually
try to lift the hatch when its closed. This could present a problem when
submerging in shallow water.
The design I've come up with is a leaf spring, which pushes down on the
hatch when it's closed ( for added sealing at shallow depths ), but helps to
open the hatch at the same time. Sounds crazy, I know. But I'm pretty sure it
will work. I haven't built it yet. ( that's next )
I made a rough sketch of it on frappr, and here's the
link......
I've got some truck springs that should work.
some advantages are.....Less drag, better corrosion resistance ( dip the
leaf spring in a rubber coating ), fewer connection points ( just the bracket to
hold the spring on one end. ), easily replaceable ( Hey, truck springs are free
! ), and doesn't need to be removed when the hatch comes off. ( for
rescue.) Check it out. Frank D. Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape in the new year. |